TAMPA, NOV. 11, 2016 – Friday night's American Athletic Conference semifinal match mirrored the University of South Florida's season: down early, but an exciting comeback. The Bulls defeated I-4 rival UCF, 2-1, in double-overtime at Corbett Stadium for a spot in The American final Sunday.
Senior Marcus Epps (Jackson, Miss.) scored the golden goal in the 101st minute on a bending shot to the far post. The midfielder's shot sent USF to The American finals for the third time in four seasons.
The first 45 minutes were a defensive battle, but the Knights were able to capitalize on a USF miscue in the 60th minute. UCF's Jesus Columbo scored from 18 yards out for a 1-0 lead. Less than two minutes later, UCF's Neico Regent was issued his second yellow card, and ejected from the game. The Bulls took advantage and drew another foul in the box for a penalty kick. Nazeem Bartman (Cape Town, South Africa) converted in the 77th minute and tied the match 1-1.
Spasoje Stefanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) turned in another spectacular performance in the net, making two saves late in the game.
QUOTABLES:
Head coach George Kiefer on his team's adjustments:
“To score the goal to tie it up and score the goal in overtime, I give the guys a lot of credit. I thought we had a lot of good, mature looks tonight. One thing we talked about, we got into the depths of their team but then cut it back. You look at the final goal, you have to get into the depths and then serve it across. Then we won the game off of that adjustment. It was rewarding to see.”
Head coach George Kiefer on returning to The American Championship:
“The American has been around for four years and we've been in three finals. I give the program all the credit. Tulsa is a great opponent and it's going to be a great game.”
Senior Marcus Epps on the team's resilient play:
“First off, I'm so proud of the guys. We stuck to what we planned to do. When we went down one, we kept our heads up and stayed focused.”
Senior Marcus Epps on scoring the golden goal:
“It felt so great. It felt great to push this team to the championship and get another chance at a trophy.”
KEY STAT:
USF outshot UCF 19-10, including 15-3 in the final 55 minutes of the match.
NOTABLES:
Epps' goal is his second of the season, his first since Sept. 18. The goal is his first game-winning goal of the year.
Bartman's goal is his fifth of the year, a team best.
11 different Bulls have scored this season, and five different players have scored in the past five matches.
USF has appeared in the American Athletic Conference Championship in three of the past four seasons. The Bulls are 1-2 in the finals match, and last won the tournament in 2013.
Up Next:
USF will host the American Athletic Conference final as the No. 1 seed Nov. 13. The Bulls will play at noon Sunday against the second-seeded Tulsa. The Hurricane defeated UConn 2-0 in Friday's first semifinal. Sunday's game will air live on ESPN3 and on tape delay later Sunday evening on ESPNU. For more information, please visit the American Athletic Conference Tournament Central Here.
The Bulls have reached the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 11 years, including an 11-6-3 record and a second round NCAA appearance last season. Head coach George Kiefer was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East Region Coach of the Year. Kiefer led USF to its eighth NCAA tournament appearance in the past nine years and earned the No. 2 ranking in the NSCAA East Region. The Bulls posted double-digit wins for the ninth time under Kiefer in 14 seasons and went undefeated at home during the regular season.
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